Archery Australia has chosen its team for the upcoming Paris Olympics, selecting first-time Olympians Laura Paeglis (22) and Peter Boukouvalas (25).
“This is a dream come true,” Paeglis said, expressing her excitement about the selection. “It’s been a long journey, and I’m thrilled to be representing Australia.”
Paeglis and Ryan Tyack secured Olympic spots for Australia by winning the mixed-team event at the Pacific Games. However, internal selection processes were held throughout the 2024 Hyundai Archery World Cup stages to determine the individual athletes competing in Paris. These selections were reportedly based on each archer’s average score across all competition phases and events, including team competitions.
Ultimately, Boukouvalas secured the spot over Tyack, a two-time Olympian who earned a team bronze medal with Australia in 2016. Boukouvalas expressed his disbelief and excitement about being selected.
“Wearing the green and gold and representing Australia at the Olympics has always been my dream,” he said. “It feels surreal.”
At the Pacific Games, Boukouvalas finished as the runner-up to Tyack in the individual competition. Paeglis, on the other hand, represented Australia at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games and won the multisport event held in Honora last year.
The archery competition at the 2024 Olympics begins with qualification rounds on July 25th.
About Peter Boukouvalas
Peter Boukouvalas was first introduced to Archery after watching the 2004 Olympic Games on TV. Despite this, Peter did not pick up a bow until his final year of high school in 2016 due to his competitive swimming commitments.
After training at the Sydney Olympic Park Archery Centre with coach Alex King, Peter made his international debut in Taiwan at the 2018 Asia Cup Stage 3, finishing 17th.
In 2021, Peter won gold at the Australian Open.
In 2022, Peter made his World Cup debut, competing at stages one and three in Turkey and France, finishing 65th in both tournaments.
In 2023, Peter competed at World Cup Stages one, two, and four, finishing 65th, 17th, and 33rd, respectively. In between World Cups, Peter also made his World Championships debut, finishing 33rd overall.
Soon after, Peter won his first international medals of his career at the 2023 Pacific Games, winning two silver. In both finals, Peter faced up against his fellow Aussie teammate and dual-Olympian Ryan Tyack.
In 2024, Peter competed at World Cup stages one and two, finishing 33rd in both tournaments.
With an ambition to become the world’s best in Archery, Peter is set to make his Olympic debut at Paris 2024.